1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a process for producing purified lithium and purified aluminum from recycled lithium-containing alloys such as aluminum-lithium alloy scrap.
2. Background
Aluminum-lithium alloys offer advantages of lighter weight and high structural integrity. Because of the lighter weight and combination with high structural integrity, the aluminum-lithium alloys with higher amounts of lithium are attractive to the aerospace industry for use in aircraft structures to provide lighter weight in the aircraft. The lighter weight provides significant savings in fuel costs over the life of an aircraft. For these reasons, aluminum-lithium alloys currently are receiving more attention as candidates for use in structural metal applications in the aerospace industry
The aircraft industry in producing structural applications of aluminum alloys generates large quantities of scrap. The scrap generated from aluminum fabrication can be recycled to produce the most economical processing in applications and products especially in aircraft plate and sheet or aircraft extrusions However, since several different alloys are used, mixed scrap may not be recyclable in whole or even in part by melting the scrap and forming the ingot directly. If scrap cannot be recycled into new aluminum-lithium ingot, some method must be found to remove and recover lithium from the scrap. Processes that lead to the production of both purified lithium and lithium-free aluminum are desirable.
The electrolytic processes conventionally available for recycling aluminum-lithium scrap have one or more drawbacks and disadvantages which have been found to be undesirable in the pursuit of reclaiming purified aluminum from aluminum-lithium alloy scrap.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for producing purified lithium from recycled aluminum-lithium alloy scrap.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process for producing purified aluminum from recycled aluminum-lithium alloy scrap.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a process for producing purified aluminum from residual aluminum alloy withdrawn from a three-layered lithium transport cell.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention as follows.